Martha Stewart Living (May 2008)
Although the Fresh Pasta with Favas, Tomatoes and Sausage is plenty of food for an entree, we wanted to add a nice, tasty vegetable on the side. These Braised Baby Artichokes seemed like just the thing.
Neither of us has ever cooked very much (okay, at all) with artichokes, but this dish sounded like a great, simple place to start.
It didn't turn out very well (largely because I [Zach] misread one crucial direction). Now that we've cooked with artichokes, though, we're eager to try some more dishes with them.
Bottom line: I missed the part of the recipe about covering the artichokes while they cook on the stove. So they weren't braised so much as...what?...parboiled? As a result, they tasted pretty good, but they weren't very tender. And they hadn't soaked up as much of the stock as they presumably should have, since a lot of the liquid just boiled off.
As a side dish, these weren't the best. But they've whetted our appetites for more artichoke recipes in the future. Got any great ones you'd like to share?
Braised Baby Artichokes
Martha Stewart Living (May 2008)
Serves 4
Ingredients
* 1 lemon, halved
* 1 1/4 pounds baby artichokes
* 1/2 cup homemade or low-sodium store-bought chicken stock
* 1/4 cup dry white wine
* 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Directions
1. Fill a large bowl with water, and juice lemon into water. Reserve lemon halves. Remove tough outer leaves of artichokes. Trim pointy tops and stems, rubbing artichokes with lemon halves and then transferring them to the lemon water as you work to prevent discoloration. Cut larger baby artichokes in half lengthwise if desired.
2. Drain artichokes, and transfer to a large skillet along with stock, wine, and oil. Set over medium-high heat, and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, until artichokes are tender and golden and liquid has completely evaporated, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, and serve immediately.
